Bible Verse of the Day Friday October 20th, 2023

James 1:6-7 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Faith is pivotal to all of life. For example, we visit a doctor whose name we have a problem pronouncing and know nothing of their background or education. They write us a prescription we cannot decipher, which we take to a drug store and give to a stranger. They present us with some strange chemical compound of which we have yet to learn what it consists of. We then take it home and follow the instructions on the bottle written by someone we have never met. My friends, that is complete faith. The features of faith consist of salvation, contentment, strength, security, and jubilant service unto God. We circulate the virtues of faith when we help the less fortunate, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and bear witness of the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the unsaved.

God lavishes good gifts upon those who ask of Him in faith and trust. He is a generous giver who bestows underserved gifts upon all who unconditionally trust him. God has singleness of heart by unconditionally giving to us without us having to barter or negotiate with Him for it. God has but one condition that we trust in Him for all our needs in life. God does not bestow His gifts resentfully nor grumble about answering our prayers; he relishes in doing so.

Too often, we fail to praise God when we experience victory because we think it is something we accomplished that brought about the victory we experienced. It's like the lady in a crowded shopping center parking lot looking for a parking space. She prayed to God for Him to help her find a place to park, and just then, someone pulled out and left a space. She looked towards heaven and said, "Never mind God, I found one on my own."  Rejoicing over the victories that God bestows upon us strengthens our faith. Sharing our victories with those around us also encourages and expands their faith. The most paramount motivation for prayer is an answered prayer. We should always share the victories that we have won with others so that we might be a good witness for the love, grace, and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

Many years ago, a college student bought a mechanical pencil and used it for the first time during a final exam. About halfway through the test, the pencil ran out of lead. He experienced great exasperation and anxiety as precious minutes passed as he attempted to borrow a pencil from his fellow students. Afterward, He discovered that the pencil had a supply of extra lead available to him with just a click of the button atop the pencil. Christians are sometimes like that student; although we have all of God’s abundance available, we fail to draw upon it because we lack knowledge of God’s Holy Word. Faith must be tied to our knowledge of God’s Word to grow and mature as a Child of God. We must link our faith to knowledge to grow in the love and grace of Christ Jesus.

Little faith will bring our souls to heaven. However, great faith will bring heaven to our souls.